On Friday, September 8th, UC Davis again hosted the Free Our Dreams event. This Free Our Dreams, like previous events, brought youth from all corners of California, with the help of their adult allies, to come together and have conversations about statewide advocacy strategies for change. The youth came to Davis from as far away as San Diego, Bakersfield, and Eureka.

This event came only a week after President Trump’s decision to repeal the DACA program that supported over 800,000 “dreamers”. The DACA program will be phased out over the next two years.

The DACA program was eligible for undocumented immigrants who had been living in the U.S. before 2007 and were under the age of 30 before 2012. These undocumented immigrants had to be either working or going to school and could not receive federal benefits.

DACA’s removal was a huge topic at this year’s Free Our Dreams event as some of the participants were undocumented or know someone who is. Many youths in attendance are supported by DACA and have many concerns on what to do now.

Throughout the event, there were workshops set up for undocumented youth to participate in and learn more about what happens next. One of these workshops had an undocumented healing circle which allowed youth let out their words and feelings about DACA being repealed through the sharing of personal and emotional stories.

One student from San Francisco City College had more than a few words to say about DACA.

“DACA being revoked was devastating news,” said Cynthia Diaz. “However, DACA was never the solution to what was demanded, but still it offered protection from being separated from this community. I would just want to remind those affected that they are loved and supported, always. We must take initiative to start learning to go beyond DACA and this is by understanding class struggle and political theory. Unified, we will protect each other and build to overcome the system that oppresses us.”

Free Our Dreams allowed many youths to speak their minds. This event ended with many of the youth saying goodbye to each other and letting one another know that they have their support.

“The fact that this conference brought out so many youths from across California and was very well attended and of course productive,” said Diaz. “This is perfect timing to get together as leaders of this state to create dialogue and share brilliant ideas with one another. Many more gatherings are needed, and definitely necessary.”

Sacramento is an urban city with multitudes of suburban areas around its edges. Thousands of people who live here rely on public transportations every day to travel to and from the places they need to go. Buses and the light rail system are essential for many people in their commutes. While some people are able to use the transit system without problems, other people find that their needs fall through the cracks. One group that seeks to address the problems that are often overlooked is the Sacramento Transit Rider Union. Sac TRU works with Organize Sacramento in its efforts to alleviate transit complications.

“Sacramento Transit Rider Union meets regularly to identify issues that affect riders that we feel are not being effectively addressed by Regional Transit,” said Sarah Kerber, Secretary for Organize Sacramento. “One of the issues we are working on right now is restoring free transfer to all fares. If you currently buy a cash farer, you’re not given a free 90 minutes [free transfer] which the other fares have access to. This leaves out a large portion of riders from receiving that benefit.”

One of their advocacy goals is focusing on the excessive triple-digit temperatures that the transit riders are experiencing while using the light rail. One Sac TRU member voiced their concern about the potentially fatal safety issues and was able to get a response from

The RT General Manager and CEO, Henry Li. The public was able to get an explanation of why the light rail system is in the conditions that they are. This shows that RT is being held responsible for their actions and the people are aware of the conditions of their transit system. The full letter can be found here.

According to Sac TRU, they are “a community coalition, including public transit riders, neighborhood leaders, transit workers, student groups, community organizations, small business associations, and workers’ rights groups.” They are often found at monthly meetings in the Organize Sacramento main office on Broadway.

On August 12th, the National Lawyers Guild of Sacramento held a lecture which focused mainly on what to do if you had any type of interaction with the police in public. The NLG brought in about a group of around 16 people to come and ask questions and learn about what do when a police officer stops you.

Many people shared their experiences and interactions that they’ve had with police and asked what they could’ve done instead in that situation. The NLG gave several points about what to do when a police officer approaches you.

“You do not have to show ID unless you are driving a motorized vehicle,” said the National Lawyers Guild representative when asked about showing ID to officers. “If officers try to speak to you, do not answer any questions. Anything you say can and will be used against you.”

NLG continued to speak about their very own experiences and how they’ve managed to get by. As the lecture went on, people talked about what they could do if they were at a rally. They even went into detail about tactics you could use such as picketing, sitting down, not yelling or swearing at police and video recording.

“If you are stopped, ask if you are being detained,” said the National Lawyers Guild representative. “If the police detain you, use the magic words to every officer who talks to you; I am going to remain silent I want to see a lawyer. You do not have to reveal your immigration status.”

As the lecture wrapped up, participants were given the opportunity to be put on an email list with details on what to do when police stop you. Also, the participants were given a paper with an overview of what was discussed.

If you need their services, you can contact the National Lawyers Guild at NLGsacramento@gmail.com or at 916/500-4NLG(654)

Many people see the criminal justice system as a necessity for any well-functioning society. But in recent years, the system has been under scrutiny from many communities in America. Locally, the different neighborhoods of Sacramento have come out to express concerns about how the justice system has affected them. One such event to voice those concerns was held at the Fruitridge Elementary School on July 29th. The “It’s Our Time” community forum seeked to help educate people about government reinvestment into their own community instead of the prison system. They aimed to accomplish this through statistics and personal stories.

A few dozen people attended the events. It was an ethnically diverse event with mostly African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-American and White people in attendance. Most of the people who attended had some experience with the prison system. Some have been in prison for decades while other have family members who went to prison. Everyone had something to say about how the criminal justice system has affected their lives.

“[The purpose of this event is to] talk with the community about the impact of criminal justice so we can work together to make a change in the criminal justice system,” said Pastor Dee Emmert, manager of the event. “It helps the community because our voices individually are not strong but when we come together we are a force to be reckoned with. [We are] also informing our community how they can vote and how they can have an impact on their community.”

Voting was one of the major themes of the event. People were givens flyers with the contact information of their community representatives such as the Sheriff and District Attorney. They were highly encouraged to call, email, and contact their representatives in any way possible to voice their opinions. People were also educated on what their rights are within the criminal justice system, particularly for parolees. In the end, many resources were given to the attendees on how to improve their community and themselves.

July is National Minority Mental Health Month, and Sacramento responded with its first annual Multicultural Mental Health Town Hall meeting to help increase awareness about the stigmas surrounding mental health. Many organizations gathered to help educate the public on the subject.

In the Shine Cafe right on the corner of E street and 14th, an open-mic was held by Speak Out Sacramento. Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday, at 8:00 pm to 10:30 pm, people with artistic talents of all levels are welcome to come and share what they have created.

On Saturday, July 29th, an event called “It’s Our Time” is being hosted by the Sacramento Community Reinvestment Coalition. This event is a forum focused on criminal justice to community reinvestment. This event is located at the Fruitridge Community Center At 4625 44th Street in Sacramento.

This event is aimed to raise a discussion and teach the affects that the criminal justice system has on the budget of Sacramento County. People can come and share personal experiences and ideas for investments that can help people and keep them safe.

The “It’s Our Time” forum is absolutely free with lunch provided. Reentry is allowed and community resource tables are available. The Sacramento Community Reinvestment Coalition is a group of people that are aiming to in helping Sacramento County in transforming the criminal justice system to reduce incarceration.

They hope that the county will invest more in reentry, treatment, rehabilitation, as well as many other critical services for the community of Sacramento. Members of the coalition include the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Self Awareness and Recovery, Sacramento Area Congregations Together, and the ACCE.

This event starts at 10:00 am on the 29th of July and ends at 2:00 PM that afternoon. For more information on this event and it’s whereabouts click here.